Warhammer - The Old World - Lexicanum:Trivia
The Trivia section forms an optional part of the General article structure. In this section (and only here) possible or confirmed "real world" references, inspirations, puns etc. behind the fictional characters, places or events of the Warhammer universe can be listed and explained. It is also the place for Notes and Conflicting sources.
Contents
General
The Lexicanum covers a fictional setting, the Warhammer Fantasy universe, and the games and products set therein. While the creators of this setting, Games Workshop, have (partly) based their setting on the "real world" it should be immediately obvious that Warhammer Fantasy is anything but realistic; it is entirely fictional and even when "real world" names, events or references are used as in-universe references nobody knows how far (if at all beyond the name) the known real world facts apply to the fictionalized Warhammer Fantasy version.
It is explicitly not the task or mission of the Lexicanum to try to make sense of the setting beyond what has actually been stated in Accepted sources or to try to create what Games Workshop themselves do not provide - a unified and stringent continuum of lore. The mission of the Lexicanum as an encyclopaedia limits itself to document - not to interpret, extrapolate, fill in gaps or the like. Therefore no "real world" references can be used within the main body text.
Nevertheless "real world" references, inspirations, puns etc. behind the fictional characters, places or events might hold an interest for some readers. The Trivia section is there to satisfy this interest. These references can be confirmed references (because Accepted sources have confirmed them) or unconfirmed, because overall it is rather rare that an author explicitly confirms where he gets his references from. Normally any unconfirmed information is strictly forbidden in the Lexicanum, with one exception - the Trivia section. Due to the very nature of references and inspirations it might not always be possible to provide rock-solid "proof" that a writer got his reference from here or there or that a specific element in the setting is a nod to or pun of certain "real world" elements. Or maybe said writer did actually confirm it but only in a private capacity that does not necessarily reflect the official company line.
This section also serves to point out contradictions (or so-called "canon conflicts"), tries to explain how the Lexicanum subjectively sees the situation, and why certain information might be regarded as contradictory. All this information is - unless stated otherwise - non-binding and informal, and it is up to interpretation by the Lexicanum authors and readers whether to accept the information presented as plausible or not. All information listed here is sourced as far as possible with trustworthy and publicly available sources (for the formatting of the sources of this section see here).
Form
The most important element to include is the following notification template that the reader is entering the Trivia section:
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To include this template you simply have to include the code {{Trivia}} directly under the heading "Trivia".
Note: The usual Citation rules do not apply in this section. Instead of using footnotes like in the main body text, direct Internal or External links to the relevant source material are used. Do pay attention to use Wikipedia whenever possible and that any source must be trustworthy and be available to the general public. For example a private photo hidden in your socks drawer would not be acceptable, nor would be the ramblings of some random blogger who claims to have heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend whose kid goes to the same kindergarden as the brat of the binman who cleans up the Games Workshop offices.
What to include
There is no definitive and exhaustive list on what can be included here due to the very diverse form inspirations or allusions can take. Examples of what could be included in the Trivia section are:
- puns
- homages
- references
- inspirations
- allusions
- plays on words
- "Easter eggs"
- and similar items
These references can be from all kinds of sources:
- pop culture in general
- historical events or figures
- literature
- movies
- ...
The most important guideline to respect for including items in the Trivia section is that any reference listed should be clearly explained and comprehensible to somebody "not in the know". And every item must be backed up by links (Internal or External).
Special case: Notes
The Trivia section is also the place where an editor can include diverse other notes on the subject of the page. For example if a specific Knightly Order was originally created by somebody for a competition or as a private army but later on included in an Accepted source this can be noted here.
Special case: Conflicting sources
Often information from Accepted sources conflicts with or plainly contradicts itself. Such issues can be explained in the Trivia section but:
- in its own subsection entitled Conflicting sources
- only while strictly observing the general Citation requirements
- very strictly refraining from inserting a personal spin, interpretation, extrapolation etc.
How to mark and include a Conflicting sources section
The conflicting information should (similarly to the system used for Citations) be marked with the footnote {{Fn|Conflicting sources}}. Then the heading of the Conflicting sources section must be formatted in the following way: {{Endn|Conflicting sources}}. Like this a reader can click on the Conflicting sources footnote and is directly and automatically taken to the Conflicting sources section.
What not to include
If a theory is too far-fetched and plain bonkers (i.e. nobody can follow the editor’s train of thought) or when there are no sources or illustrative material to back up the claim it cannot be included in the Trivia section.
See also
For more information on the Trivia section as a stylistic element in Wikipedia see here.
